Masquerade Ball
by CalleighRox
Summary: Quill challenge fic from the Hideaway. Severus is forced to attend a Masquerade ball, so he does so in FULL costume so as not to be recognised.


Quill Contest - the Hideaway (April contests)

**LIGHT FIC:****  
REQUIREMENTS:**

Write a fic about a dance

**Must include:** A glass of wine

* * *

**Masquerade ball**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. I dont own snape sighs and I dont own Hermione.

Severus Snape double checked his appearance in his full length mirror for about the fifth time, Hogwarts was playing host to a masquerade ball to celebrate the defeat of the dark lord and Dumbledore had practically ordered that Professor Snape attend, and in full costume too.

'Well if it's full costume he wants then it shall be full costume' he muttered to himself as he altered his costume here and there, he wanted to be absolutely sure no one would be able to recognise him, he couldn't have his students whispering about him willingly attending such an event even though he was accustomed to them growing up, as a child his mother held many balls and dinners at their manor home.

Once he was finally happy he would not be recognised he quietly left his rooms in the dungeons and walked along the dark deserted corridors quickly and silently so as not to be noticed until he got into the great hall.

He slipped inconspicuously into the great hall and over to a dark corner so as not to be noticed for as long as possible, it was not long however before Dumbledore wandered over and coaxed him out of the shadows and to have a glass of wine.

Snape accepted the drink and decided he'd drink it slowly from the side lines and check for any attempts to take points from students, that is, until Dumbledore told him he was not allowed to tonight. Severus stood to the side with his drink and muttered about the old fool going senile and taking away his one pleasure of torturing students. Albus seemed to be making sure Severus always had a glass of wine in his hand; this made him feel a little suspicious towards the overly meddling headmaster but pushed it aside assuring himself he could handle the wine.

After Albus had made sure he had given Severus a few glasses of wine he and Minerva, whilst dancing, made their way over to Severus and coaxed him onto the dance floor. Severus was not impressed by this at all but could no protest when Minerva gently pushed a young female towards him. Severus became quiet for fear of giving away who he was and allowed the woman to step near to him. He took her into his arms and began to expertly dance with her despite all the wine.

He had to admit she was good at dancing, she was keeping up with him very well and she was also rather hard to recognise and it took him a couple of dances before he realised who she was. It was also evident that she had no idea who he was, although she was enjoying herself and clearly enjoying his company, he was being charming, a perfect gentleman and he was an excellent dancer, how could she resist him. He smirked inwardly to himself. They were interrupted by a male with red hair, Severus automatically recognised him as a Weasley, and none other than the youngest male, Ron Weasley, figures he wouldn't be able to keep away from his friend for long, not even when she was dancing with another male, he ignored the fact that she was a student for a minute and become annoyed, but only inside, that the woman he was dancing with would become distracted,

'Not now Ron', she whispered to the boy and he slumped off again to another dark haired boy sat at the sides, he watched them for a minute, Ron explained to the boy, Harry Potter, Severus almost rolled his eyes, and the pair began to glare at him. He ignored them and continued dancing with the woman in his arms, Miss Granger, he admitted to himself.

After a couple more dances, the two boys from the side had wandered off, and Miss Granger requested that they step outside for some air. He agreed and led her towards the entrance of the great hall through the moving crowd of people keeping his hand at her waist to catch her should be bumped into, they made it out of the hall without too much fuss and they exited the castle into the grounds.

The noise from the great hall could still be heard so they walked a little until it was a bit quieter and found a bench to sit on amongst some rose bushes in a quiet area of the grounds away from the door of the castle and away from anywhere they may be disturbed. Severus sat down on the bench next to Miss Granger and she leant in towards him, this surprised him but he did not move away, for fear it may give away who he was, she did not know who he was and as long as he did not allow anything untoward no would get in trouble.

There was a brief, comfortable silence as she looked up at the stars before she broke it,

'I'm Hermione', she told him, only a little louder than a whisper so as not to disturb the quiet. He nodded to show he heard her but did not speak; she would instantly recognise his voice.

'Are you going to tell me yours?' she asked with slight amusement, and Severus shook his head slightly. Hermione sighed and nodded, and settled herself back against him. He couldn't help himself, it must have been the wine, he placed his arm around her as he felt her shiver. She leant against him even more and he could feel her take in his scent. Her hand found his and she placed her small hands around his larger one, effectively wrapping both his arms around her. She was so close and wrapped in his arms, she was willingly there and not pulling away, in fact she was wrapping his arms around her for him, he couldn't remember having ever been just sat like this with a woman in his life. He took in her scent, her hair smelt of fruits and her skin like soft vanilla. He tightened his arms around her as he felt her shiver from the cold of the night. He felt her smile and turn her head towards his chest. For a brief moment he wished he wasn't her professor, he wished she knew who he was and was here willingly with him and not this mystery man he was pretending to be, he wished he could just lean down slightly and press his lips to hers, he wondered what her reaction would be, but shook the thoughts away as quickly as they came. She stood a moment later; he immediately missed the warmth of her contact.

'We should probably head back up to the castle, the boys will be wondering where I got to', she told him, trying to sound cheerful but he could tell she had rolled her eyes when she mentioned the boys. He could tell she was more mature than the other students her age, she was 7th year, and now of age, but the other students her age seemed like children still compared to her. She had also used a time turner for a year in her fifth year, effectively making her a year older than the rest of her peers. Severus stood and nodded. He noticed her shiver again and removed his jacket; he placed it on her shoulders as they walked back towards the castle. She thanked him and they walked in a comfortable silence up to the castle.

Once they reached the entrance hall they stopped as if they both knew this was where they parted and neither wanted to.

They stopped at the bottom of the steps, the entrance hall mostly empty besides one or two of the last few students left in the hall heading up to bed. Hermione turned to Severus and handed him his jacket back, the cold air had sobered him some from the wine he had consumed and wondered what had possessed him to give the girl his jacket, and then reminded himself he was supposed to be chivalrous tonight.

He took the jacket from her and kept hold of her hand too, he lifted it to his lips and he lowered his head slightly and placed a soft, chaste kiss on it. He saw her eyes behind the mask light up at this small action and her lips twist into a more than happy smile, she stepped closer to him slightly, she leant up to his ear and whispered softly so her breath tickled his ear,

'Thank you for tonight, I had fun', and as she pulled away she pressed her lips to his cheek quickly, and they were gone again before he could register they were there, and when he looked up she was already half way up the stairs back to her dorm.

He turned to head down to his dungeons and caught sight of the headmaster and the twinkle he had in his eye when he meddled. Severus shook his head, at least she hadn't discovered his identity, and headed down to his rooms in the dungeons.

Hermione reached her dorm and flopped onto her bed with a massive grin on her face, she was so glad she had her own room as head girl so as to avoid questions on where she'd been and why she was out so late and why was she so happy. She got up and slipped out of her dress and shoes and got herself ready for bed, removing her make up, hair and mask charms. She could still smell his scent all over her which made her smile even more, she'd shower in the morning before class she decided as she brushed her teeth, they had been warned that the ball was midweek so not to have a late night, the tutors were on the look out for alcohol as none of the students were old enough to drink, thought some of them still had managed to find some. She was glad she hadn't, and flopped down into bed with a smile on her face, and dropped off into sleep with dreams of her mystery man and how good of a dancer he was. He was charming and chivalrous and didn't say a word all night.

Severus reached his dungeons and entered his rooms as quickly as possible, immediately replacing all his wards as soon as he was through and removed all the charms he had place don himself to keep his identity hidden. He removed his outfit and the clothes dropped to the floor as he made his way to the bathroom, he waved his hand and tub began to fill up with hot water as he brushed his teeth. He could still smell her scent, feel her lips on his cheek, feel her hands around his. He had to shake the feeling immediately and a hot scalding bath seemed to be the answer. He relaxed in the tub for a while before he decided he could no longer smell or feel her, and got up and ready for bed, he had to teach first thing in the morning, the seventh years. He groaned as he realised she was in that class. He found a pair of boxers and lose pyjama pants and slipped into bed, the house elves didn't visit much, but he had learnt to stay covered over night just in case they did, seeing as how they only come when he's asleep to avoid his wrath. Severus took the potion on his bedside table for dreamless sleep and drifted off to sleep within the next minute. He woke up the next morning as his old self and the effects of the wine gone but leaving him with a slight headache, which the seventh years were sure to suffer for.

Hermione woke up happy and alert from a great nights sleep, she slipped out of bed and padded into her private bathroom; she turned on the shower and brushed her teeth while the water warmed up. She slipped out of her bed clothes and under the warm water, letting the water wash over her hair and help wake her up some more.

She dressed, got her books together ready for potions, her first lesson after breakfast, and headed down to the common room to meet her friends. Harry and Ron came stumbling down the stairs still half asleep a few minutes later grumbling about having lessons after a party and how lessons should be cancelled. Hermione then gave them a lecture on how they shouldn't have stayed up so late if they couldn't handle it. They boys half ignored her and talked about quidditch on their way down to breakfast.

Severus entered the great hall and noticed her sat with her friends, she didn't glance up to the head table once, he wasn't sure if he was relieved at this, or disappointed she didn't know who he was, but he mentally kicked himself again reminding himself that she wasn't supposed to and he purposely made it so she wouldn't know.

He finished his breakfast and left the great hall between the tables, Hermione sighed as he went passed, that was the queue to go to lesson, she said goodbye to the boys who were still eating and headed out of the great hall with her books. She made her way down to the dungeons with the rest of the students who had potions or the Slytherins who needed books from their room or had a free period. She reached the classroom and followed the rest of the students in, made her way to the back and sat with the Ravenclaw girl she always sat with in these potions lessons.

Severus saw her enter and sit in her usual seat, nothing out of the ordinary; he was now more than sure she didn't know, so he began the lesson.

Hermione tried to listen as best she could, but found she kept day dreaming to the man at the ball, the way he danced, the way his hands held her close, gentle but strong. She remembered sitting on the bench to get air and holding his hand in hers, his strong hands and rough like they'd done work their whole life. Several time the professors voice changed volume as he moved around at the front of the room jolting her from her daydreaming, but she soon lost concentration again, she wasn't aware for how long, she was grateful that this lesson was all theory and they weren't expected to do a practical, it was just like Professor Snape to wait until they were at their worst and make them to a practical assessment.

'Miss Granger, 20 points from Gryffindor for not paying attention in class!' Professor Snape's voice rang out louder than the entire lesson jolting her from her daydreaming more than the other few times. She tried to concentrate harder this time, and managed not to fade away again for a few minutes, she noticed Professor Snape's hands and remembered, once again, the man from last night, she looked again at her Professor's hands as he pointed to the board and used them to indicate things as he was talking, they looked familiar, she'd not really looked at her Professor's hands and noticed them before, but something struck her. She was in thought that she didn't notice he had moved, and moved up to her desk right beside her,

'Miss Granger! Do I bore you? 20 more points for not paying attention again! And detention tonight in this dungeon' Professor Snape announced, Hermione winced and apologised meekly, then she noticed his scent as he moved away and immediately knew it was him. The scent was as strong as last night and exactly the same, his hands as they'd landed loudly on her desk, and he indicated, it was definitely him, she couldn't believe it. And she'd kissed his cheek, her hand went to her lips, he'd kissed her hand, she looked at her right hand where he'd kissed it, and she couldn't believe it. She vaguely heard as he set the assignment to be done by the end of the lesson and vaguely noticed him sit down at his desk. He sat and watched the class so she realised she ought to do the assignment, her eyes met with his and tried to read him.

She wasn't concentrating in his class, he knew he should leave her as it was his fault, he grinned smugly to himself, and carried on teaching, when she still wasn't concentrating he decided to take points to get her to take notice. This didn't work so he moved to her desk, slammed his hands down on her desk startling her, took more points and gave detention. He noticed her look at his hands and moved them away quickly.

He set the assignment and sat at his desk watching and making sure everyone was working, he caught his eyes with hers and noticed her trying to read him, he knew this meant that she knew, she'd figured it out, how could he expect her not to. He looked away as though he hadn't noticed and found some first year papers to mark. He could feel her eyes boring into him so he finally relented and looked up to find her eyes meet his again. He could see in her eyes she was annoyed with his arrogance and hurt by his coldness, he glanced around the room to make sure everyone was working before ignoring her again and going back to his marking.

Hermione was irritated and hurt, he had been so charming and nice last night, but he had also purposely kept his identity secret, perhaps this was why. He didn't need to be so arrogant and cold with her though, she figured she talk to him about it tonight in detention, she'd make him listen if she had to, she didn't know what she would do, but perhaps tell him off for being so nice and then so cold with her in class. She didn't expect him to be friendly, but perhaps less harsh. He'd taken 40points and given her detention, just for daydreaming a little, okay, she thought more than a little, but it was his fault in the first place, it was him she was daydreaming about because of last night.

The jostle of papers and books being picked up and packed away awoke her form her thoughts and she realised she'd only written six of the twelve inches supposed to be completed by now. She cringed at herself and scribbled down another two inches before giving up and handing it in. She was grateful he didn't look at the papers as they were handed in and hurried out before he could call her back for not completing the assignment on time.

Severus purposely kept his head down as the students handed their work in on his desk and filed out silently. He noticed as she placed her work on the rest of the pile and that it was only half complete, he resisted the urge to call her back and decided he'd call her up on it in detention that night.

The rest of the day went along as normal, for Severus incompetent dunderheads, or students as the rest of the world calls them, melting and exploding cauldrons. For Hermione, Arithmancy, charms and transfiguration.

As seven o'clock rolled around Hermione headed down to detention, she decided she'd take her quill, ink and parchment with her as he'd probably make her redo the assignment. When she got there she knocked on the door and waited, he called her to enter and she did, closing the door behind her. He dropped her piece of parchment with her half completed assignment to the end of his desk while continuing marking with the other,

'Firstly, you will complete the assigned work from class', he told her. She took the parchment and completed the assignment quickly and effortlessly in about twenty minutes, the assignment ending up at more of fourteen inches.

She handed him it back and he took it. She caught his eyes again and held them, he sighed and knew she wanted and explanation for last night, why he hadn't just told her it was him.

'Miss Granger, is there a problem?' he decided to play dumb,

'Yes', she answered, 'last night', she started,

'What about last night, you had a little party I heard',

'Yes, a party you attended', she told him, keeping his eyes, but careful not to let him enter her mind, she knew he was skilled at legilimancy and could probably enter without her realising.

'Did I?', he baited her,

'Yes you did, and it was a very clever disguise Professor', she told him, 'even I was fooled and I was with you the whole night', she didn't break eye contact, she knew she was right from his reaction, he didn't blink or flinch, she knew he'd known that she knew.

'well done Miss Granger, you'd do well, however, to forget it and not disclose any details of who it was to your little friends, the headmaster's meddling will someday get someone in trouble', he told her,

'so you admit it then, not that I need you to, but you admit it was you, you who danced with me, was the perfect gentleman, kissed my hand at the end of the night, it was you', she kept his eye contact, 'your hands gave it away', she admitted, 'the only part of you last night that was not disguised'. Severus nodded, as in taking it in to remember that for next time, that was a foolish mistake, he hadn't thought to cover his hands.

'That, and your aftershave', she added.

This also made Severus realise he'd made not one, but two silly mistakes in concealing his identity.

'Yes well, I didn't plan to be spending so much of my time with one of my students', he answered, 'but I shall be more careful next time'

Hermione nervously played with her fingers as she stood at his desk,

'You danced very well', she told him, Severus looked up suddenly at this, he'd gone back to marking papers. 'I suppose that must have been what threw me that it couldn't have been you, I went threw everyone I knew you see, to try and figure out who it was', she mused laughed at herself slightly, 'where did you learn it?', she asked tentatively.

Severus put down his quill as he decided whether or not to answer, he didn't have to, he realised, but he decided she deserved an answer after they'd danced so close the previous night.

'When I was younger, before school and during the summer mostly, my mother had a lot of parties and insisted I learn', was all he told her, Hermione nodded.

'You were good, if not a little rusty', she teased, Severus' head snapped up again,

'I beg your pardon?', he asked, Hermione smirked slightly,

'I said, you seemed a little rusty, it was very good, but it could have been better', she told him, she was feeling brave now she thought,

'Really', he raised an eyebrow,

'Yes, really', she challenged him,

'Fine', he answered and stood, he removed his big outer robes and placed them on his chair. He pulled his cuffs up slightly and flicked his wand, soft music from the night before began to play and he stepped forward towards Hermione.

She grinned and moved towards him also, though she flicked her wand and the music turned to something a little more upbeat.

Severus raised his eyebrow but stepped up to her anyway.

Hermione flicked the music to the beginning and they began. He placed his arm on her waist and took her hand in his.

She met him step for step and beat for beat, she was good and he realised that perhaps he was a little rusty as he noticed he was trying to keep up with her, she was leading this time.

They danced and danced to the fast paced music, before they realised it had been hours and it was coming up to ten o'clock.

They stopped to catch their breath, they were both covered in sweat and had both taken off any layers that were not essential to be covered. Severus had removed all top layers except his shirt and Hermione had removed her outer robes, jumper and tie. She had also pinned her hair up away from her neck using her wand to lock it in place.

She leant against him as she caught her breathe and he held her up as he caught his. Hermione laughed lightly against his chest,

'You're a little better now, you can keep up better, but I'll tell you a secret', she whispered, 'I've been taking every kind of dancing lesson every summer since I was 3', she told him leaning up and whispering in his ear. Her breath tickling him again. He just continued to catch his breath as she chuckled against him. She moved and looked up at him, her face flushed from all their dancing and her eyes sparkling because she was happy. With him, she knew it was him and she looked at him the same as she had done the night before, she was still happy with him even though she knew who he was, he couldn't understand it. She smiled up at him and his face became slightly more serious, she could tell he was relaxed, his eyes gave away more than they ever did. He looked back down at her and she leaned towards him, he tongue unconsciously wet her lips as he leaned down towards her. He couldn't help himself, and she had no desire to stop him as he gently pressed his lips to hers. She smiled again and pressed her lips back. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer as his slipped tighter around her waist. They stayed like that for a few moments before he pulled away. Both breathless from their dancing and the fact that they had actually shared a kiss, Severus mentioned it was getting late, Hermione nodded she mentioned how the boys would once again be wondering where she was and how she ought to go because they knew she was in detention with him. Snape playfully commented that he'd have to take points if he caught her out of bed after hours, she smirked at his playfulness and felt her heart swell as she found this man wasn't the man she thought, he was so much more. She grabbed her tie and placed it back around her neck, she began to tie it before Severus moved her hands away and tied it for her. He kissed her neck before handing her her jumper, she slipped it on and then slipped her robes on over it. She grabbed her bag with her quill and ink put back inside, kissed him one more time finding him to keep hold of her and walk with her to the door with their lips still together, she giggled and told him if they were caught he'd be in trouble. He grumbled that he didn't care, kissed her again deeply, and finally let her go, she looked back at him with a smile, before jogging down the corridor back to her dorm.

Severus slipped into bed that night deciding to forgo the dreamless sleep potion, he figured he really wouldn't be having bad dreams tonight.

Hermione also slipped into bed to enjoy another restful nights sleep and awake fully refreshed in the morning with memories no one else but the two of them would know about.

xxEndxx

A/N: Feedback is appreciated, but not required, hope you enjoyed, xx


End file.
